The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio

Latest Episodes:

Ask an economist: Is 2% GDP growth underwhelming or not that bad? Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

GDP grew by 2% -- is that a good number or a bad number? Supply chain issues and childcare shortages continue to haunt the economy, but economists are dreaming of a green Christmas nonetheless. And what's going to happen with housing prices? Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza helps us break down the all the economic news of the week that matters to you in your daily life.

Meet the candidate: Republican Jack Ciattarelli says living in New Jersey needs to be more affordable Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Election Day is coming up and the biggest item on the ballot in South Jersey is the key to the Governor's mansion. Republican Jack Ciattarelli is trying to unseat Democrat Phil Murphy. We're going to talk with both candidates on the podcast, starting with the challenger, Jack Ciattarelli, who says it needs to be more affordable to live in New Jersey. He sat down with KYW's South Jersey Reporter Mike Dougherty for a conversation about COVID-19, property taxes, recreational marijuana, and police reform.

A new report rates America’s mental health, and the findings are revealing Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

There's a mental health crisis in America, people are not always getting the help they need, and then the world got plunged into a global pandemic. So how bad is the problem right now? Which states are doing better to get resources out to people? And what can we do as individuals and across our society to address a problem that really affects everyone? Mental Health America recently released their State of Mental Health in America report and we dug into it with Mental Health America President and CEO Schroeder Stribling.

Read the report here: https://mhanational.org/issues/state-mental-health-america

Tracking childhood obesity changes during the pandemic Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Childhood obesity has been an ongoing problem in America, and the COVID-19 pandemic did not help the problem. We wanted to know how much worse childhood obesity got during the coronavirus pandemic, and what the data show about who is most at risk for developing childhood obesity both here in Philadelphia and across the US. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released a report that looks at the state of childhood obesity and Jamie Bussel, Senior Program Officer at the foundation is on the podcast to break down what the report found.

Check out the report here: https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/

Delta variant financial hardship: Who is struggling most? Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

If you needed proof that the economic problems of the pandemic are still here, an incredible 38% of households in the US say they've struggled financially in the past few months, especially during the surge fueled by the Delta variant. This is also a time when a lot of the government programs put in place to help people during the pandemic started to fade away. Dr. Avenel Joseph from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation breaks down a poll the foundation conducted looking at who is hurting the most financially right now, how many Americans have used up all their savings during the pandemic, and some other alarming statistics.

Look at the survey here: https://rwjf.ws/3Bm63Vc

He's no longer an Eagle, but Zach Ertz wants to make a difference in Philadelphia with the House of Hope Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Zach Ertz might not be an Eagle anymore, but behind the scenes Zach and the Ertz Family Foundation are still doing important work in Philadelphia. Right now the foundation is working on transforming a building in Hunting Park to serve teens and their families. Lisa Ertz is the executive director of the Ertz Family Foundation, she caught up with KYW's Michelle Durham to talk about the House of Hope and the role they want it to serve in Hunting Park.

Find out more about the House of Hope here: https://www.ertzfamilyfoundation.org/houseofhope/

'This needs to be spoken about:' Morgan McCaffery's family is fighting for teens in toxic relationships Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Morgan McCaffery had recently graduated high school when she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in the Meadowbrook Train Station parking lot in July 2020. Her ex-boyfriend was recently convicted of first degree murder in a highly publicized trial. Now her family is committed to spreading the word about teenage toxic relationships. Kathy McCaffery is Morgan's mom. Kathy sat down with KYW Newsradio's Michelle Durham to talk about her daughter, her legacy, and how the Morgan's Light foundation is working to shine a light on toxic relationships and give people stuck in them the resources they need.

Find out more about Morgan's Light here: https://www.morgans-light.org/

Pandemic economy: Workers taking back the power Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

We've seen strikes at major companies like John Deere and Kellogg's recently, and those actions have ripple effects. Philadelphia economist David Fiorenza talks about how pandemic working conditions and relief packages have contributed to the labor movement. We also discuss unemployment, the housing market, inflation, and President Biden's infrastructure bills.

Should student athletes be considered employees? Changing tides for the NCAA Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

A recent memo from the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board makes the argument that student athletes can be considered employees. As they look for athletes to help them makes this case, and on the back of the decision to allow student athletes to be compensated for their name, image, and likeness, we asked Dr. Karen Weaver at the University of Pennsylvania to help us understand what this memo said and how it could change college sports as we know them. We talked about how this could affect the organization of conferences, the financial fallout schools will have to deal with, how it could trickle down to high schools, and what having employee agreements would mean for the athletes themselves.

The Long Haul: New COVID treatments and the 'endemic pandemic' Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

Independence Blue Cross presents The Long Haul: Learning to Live in a Lasting Pandemic, a special pandemic mini-series from KYW Newsradio In Depth. In the third and final part of our series we talk with Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio's Medical Editor. We ask him to break down the new experimental treatments from Merck and AstraZeneca, and to explain what monoclonal antibodies are and how they work. Plus, we hear his thoughts on the safety of those treatments vs. the safety of the vaccine, and what he tells patients who are hesitant to get vaccinated. Finally, we end with his predictions for the future of this pandemic - both for the winter and long-term.